Can You Eat Your Moisturizer? (Or, Do You Know What You're Putting On Your Skin?)
In ayurveda school, we were taught that you should only apply substances that are safe enough to eat to your skin. The lesson is that your skin absorbs the products you apply so be mindful of what you put on it. It's an interesting thought and, unless you're prepared to make your own grooming and beauty products regularly and store most of them in the refrigerator to avoid bacterial or fungal growth, not so easy to practice.
There have been many articles in the past couple of years about the safety of ingredients found in commonly used shampoos, deodorants, lotions, makeup, soap and other personal-care products most of us use daily and would never think of giving up. After all, the average woman uses no less than 19 personal-care products before leaving for work in the morning!
I'm
not writing this to make you paranoid about yet another environmental
threat or to make you want to throw out everything in your bathroom, I simply think it's important to know that there are a growing
number of excellent beauty, bath and body products free of the most
commonly used no-no ingredients (that don't test on animals either). It's
worth learning about the main ones to avoid so you can make better
informed choices. Whole Foods has done a terrific job editing and screening the products they sell so it's a safe place to explore if/when you're looking for better options.
The main ingredients to avoid are:
· propylene glycol
· phthalates (DBP, DEP, and butyl ester)--known as "endocrine disruptors" because they mimic the body's hormones and have, in laboratory animal tests, been shown to cause reproductive and neurological damage.
· sodium lauryl sulfate/sodium laureth sulfate
· formaldahyde releasers (diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin)
· parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben)--widely used preservatives that are also known to disrupt hormone function and may be linked to cancer.
· petrochemicals (petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffin)
Keep in mind that ingredients with a long or scientific-sounding names aren't necessarily chemicals, synthetics or bad for you. FDA regulations require the use of Latin and scientific names even for natural ingredients.
Naturally (ha, ha, ha! I crack myself up), KK Ayurveda Facial and Body Care products contain none of the ingredients listed above and are cruelty free!
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NEW PRODUCT: KK Ayurveda Hand Sanitizer!
It's
very
hard to avoid hearing about H1N1, flu shots and hand washing these
days. It's made me a little mental whenever I use an ATM, push an
elevator button, open a cab door, etc. To make myself feel better, I
went on a search for a natural hand-sanitizer spray that smelled good,
wouldn't dry out my hands, didn't contain any "bad" ingredients, and
came in a cute, portable container. Guess what? In a "necessity is
the mother of invention"
moment, I made it myself!
I made 2 "flavors": Citrus and Rose
Geranium. In addition to whichever scent you prefer, both contain
alcohol, jojoba oil, lavender essential oil and
tea tree essential oil. The combination of alcohol, lavender and tea
tree may not kill every germ but it kills most of them. Your hands
will not dry out after repeated use so you won't be reaching for the
hand cream constantly.
KK Ayurveda Hand Sanitizer Spray comes in a 1/3 oz. glass atomizer (like a perfume spray) so it fits in
a pocket or even the smallest handbag. Since 1/3 oz. runs out fairly
quickly, there's a 1 oz. refill with a dropper top available so it's a
cinch to refill your sprayer!
Buy it here: KK Ayurveda Hand Sanitizer Spray
or here: KK Ayurveda on Etsy
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One Of The Cutest Things You'll Ever See...Click here now!
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Upcoming Events
CONCIOUS RELAXATION: Serenity Now!
The
ancient yogis developed conscious relaxation (yoga nidra in Sanskrit) as a
method of achieving deep and complete relaxation of the body and mind. During this session, all you'll need to do is wear
comfortable clothing, lie down, be at ease and listen as I guide you
through systematic relaxation and visualization techniques.
Sunday, October 26, 2009
1p.m. to 2 p.m.
$20 Gilda's Club Chicago
Wednesday, October 13, 2009*
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009*
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
*Gilda's Club (a support facility for those whose lives have been touched by cancer) activities are free of charge. You don't need to be a member...just show up!
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